Get A Goode Start Decorating

Well, it’s finally nice weather and the Spring race to buy a new home is on! If you're a home buyer, you definitely are on a house-hunting mission! If you and your real estate agent do "drive bys," you've probably eliminated a few properties based on their exterior appearance - including broken railings, children's toys in the yard or an unmowed lawn.Curb appeal is so important to the prospective home buyer since it is the FIRST impression a prospective buyer will have.     It could mean the difference between a "sale" and "no sale." If you are the home seller, here are some recommendations to keep your home in pristine condition and appeal to the prospective home buyers "drive by": 1. Make sure that your lawn is freshly cut and that leaves in your lawn are raked. If winter has set in, please make sure that the snow has been shoveled in the driveway and on walk-ways and sidewalks. 2. Your home's entryway should be attract...

As an interior decorator for 25 years, I’ve helped my clients hang many pictures in their homes, so I wanted to share some of my tips with you. If you have a large empty wall where you’d like to hang lots of pictures, I’d like to suggest that you arrange the artwork on the floor first.   Then, measure how far they need to be from one another (each picture should be the same distance from the other, vertically and horizontally).   Next, take one at a time and put them on the wall.   I usually start from the center point and work on each side. Another option would be to make a template of each picture and adhere it to the wall gently using a re-useable adhesive, which looks a little bit like putty, but it won’t tear pieces from the wall or the paper patterns. For a grouping, consider a grouping of four of the same-size pictures, together like a four-square to give the illusion of a larger picture.   I’d like to recommend that the pictures have a unifying the...

  After selling furniture for a couple of years and 25 years experience as an Interior Decorator, I’d like to suggest the tips below if you are in the market for new upholstery. When looking for upholstery, you should ask the salesperson for information on fabric and construction before making your decision to purchase. 1. Fabrics: Durability and function should be paramount in selecting which fabric you choose for your upholstery. Fabrics can add color, character and charm to your room. -Leather has features which can make it superior to other upholstery materials since it will not tear along the seam lines or easily rip as some other fabrics do. Leather is made to provide you with years of timeless beauty, however, it is a bit pricy. -Leathermatch is a more economical material choice. Leather match upholstery means the piece has a combination of real leather and dyed-to-match vinyl. It features the look of leather at a more affordable cost. -Microfiber features ...

There can be many different reasons for downsizing – but moving is probably the most common. Well, I’m not moving, but the older I get the more I get annoyed at all the stuff I’ve accumulated over the years. Does this sound familiar to you?  In the past, I would move to a different home every four years. And every time I moved, I would sort through my stuff, donating lots of bags to the Salvation Army, Purple Heart and Goodwill. As you can tell, my love of shopping for clothes, shoes and decorative items has always gotten me in trouble. However, now that I’ve been living in the same house for the past five years, my “stuff” has been multiplying exponentially. Not only is the crawl space under the house filled up completely, but we now have a garage that has no more extra room – especially for a car. And it's migrating to my two spare bedrooms and the closets are bulging at the seams. I'm really tired of the piles which seem to grow on a weekly basis. And even more fr...

Happy Holidays to all! If you're ready to start decorating your holiday tree, here are some hopefully useful tips: Beginning the task: When decorating your Christmas tree, put lights on first, then the garland, and finally the ornaments. I think of my tree as a three-dimensional painting. Do you have a color scheme or theme that you want to follow? Sometimes having a plan for your tree makes it more fun to decorate – at least in my opinion. You can spend all year collecting items for your tree – but a good time of year to find bargains is, of course, the post-holiday sales. Ornaments: Begin by hanging "filler ornaments" and evenly space them around the tree. They could be basic solid color balls that are easily found at discount stores in a wide range of colors to coordinate and enhance your decorating scheme. You'll need about 20 "filler ornaments" for every two feet of Christmas tree. Don't hang all your ornaments on the tips of the branches...

Are you dreading the holidays because you are bored with your living room and dining room? Want to add some new life to your   rooms before the holidays?   If   your answer to both questions is “yes,” I have some budget-wise decorating ideas to transform your sofa and chairs and   make you feel proud to welcome family and friends for the holidays!   - If your budget doesn’t include buying a new sofa or chairs, consider slipcovering them instead. You can buy stretchable slipcovers at departments stores, such as Walmart, Target or Bed, Bath and Beyond. For even wider selection, check out Surefit, J.C. Penney or Pottery Barn slipcovers online.   -Can’t find a ready-made slipcover to fit your sofa?   A new, colorful throw draped over your sofa can hide some of those worn out or stained spots.   -If you want to add some punch to your “new” sofa, buy some new accent pillows . Believe it or not, adding some colorful throw pillows c...

I recently had the priviledge of being one of the few interior designers chosen to design a room in Baldwin Home's Maryland Green Designer Show Home, located in Gambrills, Md., just outside of D.C. and Baltimore. Since this is the first show house I ever designed, I was a little nervous.  But as soon as I heard that 100% of the proceeds will go to charities - Hospice of the Chesapeake and Make a Wish Foundation -I knew I was doing the right thing.  I bid on the guest bedroom, but they asked me to also decorate and design the adjoining guest bathroom.  Designers purchase all the furniture and accesories for their room as well as design any special features, such as wall and window treatments. There were nine local interior designers who were chosen by Baldwin Homes to design the interior of their beautiful, environmentally friendly home. It was a wonderful experience, and I met some great people while working on my rooms.  This team effort culminate...